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Youngster has been used since the 16th century as a word for a young person with a lot of spunk. It has also long been used by maritime people as a word for a midshipman who has served less than four years. This use is connected with the Dutch word younker, which, like "youngster," refers to a young person as well as a young seaman. "Oldster" came about as a word used to differentiate the inexperienced midshipmen, or youngsters, from the experienced ones. To be exact, an oldster is a midshipman of four years' standing. Charles Dickens gets credit for the earliest known use of "oldster" in the general sense of "an old person." In his 1848 novel Dombey & Son he wrote, "Her eyes would play the Devil with the youngsters before long - 'and the oldsters too, Sir, if you come to that,' added the Major."
Examples of oldster in a Sentence
Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 10 Sep. 2025
Uncle Herschel, the seated oldster in Cracker Barrel’s iconic logo, is not only a character from corporate lore, the founder’s real-life uncle, but a representative, even an aspirational, figure for a certain kind of American.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
Plus, lest oldsters forget, Buckingham Fountain is romantic.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
Who among us oldsters doesn’t enjoy a good VFX-costume parlay?
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Oldster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oldster. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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oldster
noun
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